The Cosby Show actress Phylicia Rashad has defended Octavia Spencer’s latest role playing God.
Oscar winner Octavia stars as Papa in Stuart Hazeldine’s new film The Shack, about a grieving man (Sam Worthington) who receives a mysterious, personal invitation to meet with God.
Christian groups have hit out at the holy casting, though Phylicia, who attended the New York premiere of the film alongside Octavia on Tuesday (28Feb17), thinks people are missing the point.
“Oh, please, God is in all of us. It does not matter what color you are or what gender you are, there is God in all of us,” she told Page Six.
The Shack is based on William P. Young’s 2007 novel, and also features the physical manifestations of Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit, played by Avraham Aviv Alush and Sumire Matsubara respectively.
Pastor Joe Schimmel of Blessed Hope Chapel in Simi Valley, California, is one religious leader who has spoken out over the casting, and he told Christian News Network: “Young’s pretentious caricature of God as a heavy set, cushy, non-judgmental, African American woman called ‘Papa’ – who resembles the New Agey Oprah Winfrey far more than the one true God revealed through the Lord Jesus Christ in Hebrews 1:1-3 –… lends itself to a dangerous and false image of God and idolatry.”
Actor Avraham has also jumped to the defence of the story’s multiracial characters.
“You do know that Jesus did not have blond hair and blue eyes. He had hair of wool and skin the colour of brass,” he sighed.
The Shack hits U.S. cinemas on Friday (03Mar17), arriving in British theatres in June.
